D-E-E-P W-A-T-E-R spells fear to 2/3 of the adult population. The key to teaching ‘aquaphobics’ is trust, and letting them proceed at their own pace. Once achieved, adults can expect to become competent swimmers after a week long course.
“This is the most challenging thing I’ve ever done”, confesses Arthur, who grew up in Ayrshire, Scotland, in the 1950s. “There simply weren’t any pools when I was a boy.” It would be another ten years before the swimming pool construction boom of the 1960s.
Today, swimming is the nation’s favourite sporting activity, with nearly 12million people swimming regularly.